I knew a woman who could work that fast in crochet. She was so smooth.
I learned knitting from my Japanese roommate a long time ago but I think she taught me English and it didn’t stick. So I re-taught myself after doing right-handed crochet for awhile and learned continental - you feed yarn from the left hand for both crochet and continental. When trying English, my right hand was particularly uncooperative about tensioning yarn.
I’ve since picked up English to do stranded knitting along with continental and so far its the only way I can do it. My English stitches are tighter than my continental.
For fast purling, I can only recommend looking into Portuguese style knitting. It’s actually easier than the knit stitch. Check out Andrea Wong’s demo of both stitches on you tube here.
I found, watched, tried that last night. Pretty cool. I’ll try it again soon, I ran into a couple hangups and need to give it space. How is color work done in the Portugese style?
It took me a little getting used to, and a few needles tossed across the living room in a fit of pique , but I quickly came to love it. Compared to when I knit English, I’m Speedy Gonzales now! :happydance:
Color work is pretty much the same as what she did in the video, and much like how color work is done in the other methods. Just use another pin to tension the 2nd color on the right side of your chest, and keep the yarn untangled. The untangled yarn bit is still a “yeah, right” for me. :roflhard: I bought her Portuguese knitting II DVD so I could see color work in action.
Did you get the knitting pin? Or do you use something else? I could see buying one if I decide I will be knitting like that, for practice I’d like to use something else. Last night I had the yarn 'round my neck and that’s not something I can do comfortably.
I have some coil less safety pins that would work. I got them at Joann in the beading section. Most craft stores probably have them. I use them for markers right on the knitting if I need that to mark a row or something.
According to her web site, Hazel uses a knitting belt which anchors the bottom of the right needle, and that helps minimize hand movement, and that in turn helps her speed. That, and fifty years of practice
I couldn’t get the hang of English OR Continental knitting, but Portuguese came pretty naturally to me. Most of the yarn work is done by flicking the left thumb. I used a saftey pin and a paperclip to improvise my knitting pin.
I tried it round the neck and after I figured out I liked it, I bought the knitting pins. But Jan hit the nail on the head coilless safety pins are a good substitute, and make fantastic stitch markers.
Otherwise if you have a brooch with a hook shaped curl in it, that would work too. I got one of Andrea’s pretty silver decorative knitting pins because I forget to take my pin off and am tired of people asking if I’m going fishing.
:roflhard: I’ve been using a crochet hook with an ergonomic fat handle on it lately but I used to stick the hook in a handy compartment under the front of my shirt. More than once I got back from shopping and realized I’d taken it with me. I don’t think my shirt always hid it and I’ve wondered what anyone who might have noticed it thought. :shrug:
Good ideas. I’m not much for jewelry but will figure out something to try. If I like it I bet I’ll get something nice to use.
LOLOL about your crochet hook! I’m bad about using a DPN as a cable needle, and sticking it over my ear like a pencil when not in use. The cashiers at my grocery loved that one!
As for the rest check your private messages. USPS is at worst 4 business days wait.
I wondered what would have been the reaction had I ever had to go through a metal detector and couldn’t figure out what set it off. Funniest home videos? :roflhard: Surprisingly I was in an office where you had to go through a detector and they went through my purse because, as I told them, I don’t know what would qualify as a possible weapon…keys maybe? My pocket knife had to go back to the car, understandably, but they let my very sharp sock circs go in. I’d forgotten I had them with me and when I saw them I wondered about it but was glad that I got to knit while I waited at least. Later I wondered if pulling them out was tempting fate. I sometimes carry scissors too. Yikes!
I watched a World’s Fastest Knitter video a few years ago. I think it was sponsored on the Knit Picks website, but never mind that.
After watching this incredible woman, I tried an experiment:
I started a garter stitch swatch.
I set a timer.
Using my normal knitting speed, I knit X rows (cant’ remember)
$) Then, I knit the same number of rows going as fast as I could. Really really fast. Oh, blazing!
[B]The outcome of the experiment: I knit slower when I was trying to knit fast. [/B]
Sigh.
I tried that darn experiment over and over.
I could not increase my speed [U]when I was trying[/U] to increase my speed.
The final analysis: The timer put me under such stress, I couldn’t perform as well. :wall:
Sigh.
Back to knitting my usual way. Not fast, not slow. Accurately and with pleasure.
, but I quickly came to love it. Compared to when I knit English, I’m Speedy Gonzales now! :happydance:
